Melinda and the Laramie Ghost
by estrellaSMC
Summary: Melinda encounters the spirit of Matthew Shepard, a college aged boy who was tortured, robbed, tied to a fence, and left to die because he was gay. He's in Grand View because his killers escaped from jail and are now about to strike again.
1. Notes, Disclaimers, & Dedications

**I do not own Ghost Whisperer or any of the characters from the show. If any of them seems out of character, I beg your pardon.**

**I do not own Matthew Shepard or any members of his family. They are historical people. What happened to Matthew was real and his story is told in the play and movie ****The Laramie Project****. If there is anybody out there who knows them, please don't be angry if they are out of character. I do not know them personally so I'm shooting in the dark.**

**The inspiration for this fanfic came from the theater group at my school performing ****The Laramie Project****. I helped out in making the costumes for it, so I felt very close to it.**

**I dedicate this fanfic to the homosexual people that I know and care about. May none of you ever become the victim of a hate crime.**

**I also dedicate this fanfic to Matthew Shepard himself. Your story will never be forgotten.**


	2. Chapter 1

One day Melinda and Delia were in the shop as usual. Delia was moving some of the smaller items around. Melinda was on her computer. Delia suddenly turned to Melinda "Did you hear about those two escaped criminals?" she asked.

Melinda looked up at her friend. "What escaped criminals?" she asked.

"Two criminals escaped from federal prison," Delia said.

"Who are they?" Melinda asked.

"I don't remember their names," Delia confessed, "But it was the two people accused of killing Matthew Shepard."

"Who?" Melinda asked, bewildered.

"Matthew Shepard," Delia repeated. Seeing Melinda still look blank, she added, "He was tortured, robbed, tied to a fence and left there to die because he was gay. He was found the next morning and taken to the hospital. He died two days later."

"And those people who did that are the ones who escaped?" Melinda asked in horror.

"Yes," Delia said.

"I hope the police catch them again," Melinda said.

"Me too," said Delia.

Just then the door of the shop opened. Two men walked in. One had brown hair. The other had black hair. They both seemed to be in their early thirties. Melinda looked at them. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"No," the brown haired man said. "We're just looking. Thank you anyway."

"Let me know if I can help you with anything," Melinda said. Suddenly something went flying past her. He head snapped around, only to find that it had vanished.

Delia walked over to Melinda and leaned close to her, "Uh-oh," she whispered, "You have that 'I saw a ghost' look on your face."

Melinda nodded, "It was just a wisp, but it was there."

The black haired man glanced out the window and then gestured for the brown haired man to come over. The brown haired man did and looked as well. The two of them turned and the brown haired man said, "Thanks for letting us look around. You have a nice place here. We must be going now." Then he turned to the black haired man and said, "Come on, Russell."

The two of them walked out the door. Suddenly the ghost flew past Melinda again. Her head followed it as it flew towards the front of the shop and through the window. Melinda went up to the window and looked out. Obviously, whoever this ghost was, it wanted Melinda to look out the window.

What she saw made her heart leap into her throat. There were the two men who had just been in her shop. They were standing with Gabriel. He was obviously back in town. What he was doing here was anybody's guess. It appeared to Melinda, though, that he knew them.

"What is it?" Delia asked, coming over to where Melinda was standing and staring out the window.

"Those guys know Gabriel, Delia," Melinda said. "That can't be good."

"Why not?" Delia asked.

"You know Gabriel has the same gift I do," Melinda said. "Only he uses it to help the evil spirits."

Delia winced. She had forgotten that. "Ooh," she said. Melinda nodded grimly.


	3. Chapter 2

A few days later Melinda was walking across the square when she suddenly heard a familiar voice call, "Boy, that woman looks familiar!"

She turned around and saw a young man with brown curly hair. She recognized him instantly as someone she had helped. "Kirk," she said with a smile.

"Hey, Melinda," he said, coming up to her.

"How are you?" Melinda asked.

"Much better," Kirk replied, "Thank you." Then he hesitated and said. "Look, I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time before. You know, when you were trying to help me. I was a real jerk."

"It's okay," Melinda said. "You were hurt, and trying to hide a secret. I didn't hold it against you." She quickly changed the subject. "So how are things going for you, anyway?"

"Much better," Kirk replied. "Having my father know about my being…well, you know…gay…has really helped." He chuckled and added, "Though at first he was a little edgy, but he's lost that."

"I'm glad," Melinda said.

Suddenly Kirk jumped. "Sorry," he said. "I have my cell phone on vibrate. I should probably get that." Melinda nodded in understanding as he answered the call. "Yello…Hey Jake…yeah, I'm on my way there…uh-huh…Bumped into an old friend…Yep…no, we were nothing more than friends…okay, see you soon…buh-bye." He hung up and returned the phone to his pocket.

"Who was that?" Melinda asked.

"Jacob," Kirk said with a smile.

Melinda noticed the look on his face. It was the same look she had noticed on Jim's face when he looked at her. "Are you two…a couple?" she asked.

Kirk grinned and nodded, "Just started dating a few weeks ago," he told her.

"Congratulations," Melinda said. "I shouldn't hold you up, then, if you're on your way to seeing him." She started walking away from him. "Bye!"

"Bye!" he called back and headed for where he was to meet Jacob. He didn't notice the two men glaring after him. The same two men who had visited Melinda's shop.

Melinda saw them and thought they were staring at her for some reason. She stared back, determined not to be intimidated by them. Just at that moment, Gabriel came around the corner in his black truck.

Gabriel poked his head out the window. "Come on, Aaron, Russell," he said. "Let's get you settled at my place." The brown haired man, obviously Aaron, opened the door. The other man, Russell, climbed in. Then Aaron climbed in as well and shut the door. Gabriel drove off with them.

Melinda shook her head, wondering what was going on. Nothing good, her sixth sense told her.


	4. Chapter 3

After Melinda returned to the store, she walked down the stairs into the basement. She just reached the bottom of the stairs when she was suddenly transported.

She found herself in a large open field. It was nighttime and the sky was full of stars. She could hear cars going by from a nearby highway. She looked around. In one direction she could see the lights of a town. They sparkled. Then she saw the silhouette of someone coming towards her. A ghost. She backed up and ran into something. A wooden fence. "You must warn him," the spirit said. The voice sounded like that of a young man.

"Who?" Melinda asked. "And who are you?"

The ghost did not answer her questions. "They are going to go after him," it said.

"Who will?" Melinda asked.

Suddenly a bright light shone on the phantom. Before her stood, as she had guessed from his voice, a young man. He looked to be about college aged. His hair was blond. She couldn't tell much more about him because he was covered in blood and bruises. The only places where she could see his skin was in two streaks below his blue eyes, as if he had been crying. His clothes were torn. Underneath his pants, Melinda could see he was wearing braces. She looked down and saw that he was barefoot as well. She looked back into his face as he said, "The ones who did this to me."

The vision ended as suddenly as it had begun. Melinda gave her head a quick shake and, after getting what she had gone down to get, went back upstairs.


	5. Chapter 4

During a quiet moment Melinda went to her computer and searched for 'college aged boy, beaten, killed.' She found references to several killings that matched her criteria. Among them was a name that jumped out at her: Matthew Shepard. Remembering her conversation with Delia earlier, she clicked on it first. She read the information and scrolled down. There was a picture of him. Melinda stared. The hair was the same. The shape of the face was the same. The blue eyes were the same.

She felt a pair of ghostly eyes on her and looked up. There was the same ghost who had appeared to her in the vision. "Matthew Shepard?" she asked uncertainly.

The ghost nodded and said simply, "Yes." Then he walked over to the desk she was sitting at and perched on the edge of it.

"What are you doing here?" Melinda asked.

"The people who killed me are here," Matthew said.

Melinda's eyes widened. "Here in Grand View?" she asked.

"Yes," Matthew said. Then he looked at her. "They are going to strike again. I can feel it. I have to stop them." Then he buried his head in his hands. "Who am I fooling?" he asked. "I can't. I'm a ghost." Then he straightened up and looked at Melinda. "Hey wait a minute," he said. "How can you see me and talk to me?"

Melinda shrugged, "I have a gift," she said.

"Oh," Matthew said, looking away again.

"I can help you," Melinda said. "But I need to know what you know. Please tell me."

"The people who killed me are Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson," Matthew said. "The two people who came in here earlier today. I don't know what they plan, but I think it will have something to do with your friend."

"Friend?" Melinda asked.

"The guy you were talking to outside earlier," Matthew said.

"Oh," Melinda said, "Kirk."

"Yeah," Matthew said. "He's in danger, Miss…"

"Gordon," Melinda said, "But you can call me Melinda. Why do you say he's in danger?"

"That guy Aaron and Russell are staying with here…I heard them call him Gabriel…I heard him talking to ghosts," Matthew said. "Just like you do, Melinda. Are you two related, or something?"

"Yeah," Melinda said, "he's my brother. Though he uses his ability for evil instead of good. Stay away from him as much as possible."

"I figured he was up to no good," Matthew said, nodding. "He told them to spy around until they found a gay person in the town and then report back to him with the name. My guess was that he would then tell the name to Aaron and Russell, who would then go after the person named. I saw one of these spirits nearby when you were talking to Kirk. As soon as you two split up, the ghost disappeared. My guess is that he went to report to Gabriel."

"Hmmm," Melinda said. "Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do at this point. If we were to go and notify the police that they were here, one of Gabriel's ghosts would find out, notify Gabriel, and he'd tell them. They might then go to another town."

"I know they would," Matthew said. "I've been following them. They stopped at a town a ways away. They were recognized and someone went to report it. By the time the police got there, they were gone again."

"If we're to have any luck catching them, we can't do anything right now. They'd get wind of it. Our best bet is to catch them actually doing something," Melinda said, nodding. "We should keep a close watch on Kirk, too."

Matthew stood up. "I can easily do that," he said. "It's the least I could do for having you help me."

"Just be careful of Gabriel," Melinda warned. "And let me know if those two start to do anything."

"I will," Matthew said, "Thank you again." And with that he disappeared.


	6. Chapter 5

A few nights later Melinda was driving home from work when suddenly something flashed in front of her. "Melinda!" Matthew's voice called suddenly. She panicked and swerved, but managed to get her car stopped at the side of the road without mishap.

She turned around and saw Matthew was sitting in the passenger side. "What was _that_ all about?" Melinda asked in annoyance.

"Hurry!" Matthew said, not answering her question. "They've got your friend!"

"Kirk?" Melinda immediately asked, concerned. "Those two who killed you have him?"

"Yes!" Matthew said, "Hurry! I'll give you directions."

Melinda quickly pulled back out onto the highway and went as fast as she could in the direction Matthew indicated.

A few miles out of Grand View, they were driving by a fenced in field. "Stop here," Matthew said.

Melinda quickly pulled over to the side. She saw three figures in the gloom. Two of them were beating up on a third. Melinda sprinted over to them. Suddenly she stepped on a twig, causing a loud snap. They both whirled around. One of them, she realized it was Aaron, held a gun, which he now pointed at her. "Go now if you want to live," he growled.

Suddenly Matthew decided it was time for him to step in. He used his powers to lift a huge tree branch and throw it at Aaron. It hit him in the chest and he dropped the gun and staggered backwards.

Melinda acted quickly and grabbed the gun. She pointed it at Aaron and Russell. "Leave him alone," she said.

Russell made a move to sneak up on her and reclaim the gun. Suddenly the scene was illuminated with light. Melinda looked around and saw that both her car and the one that Aaron and Russell had borrowed from Gabriel and driven out here were turned towards the scene, headlights on.

Aaron and Russell suddenly panicked and ran off. As they ran, Aaron called over his shoulder, "Watch your back, fag. We'll be back for you when you least expect it. You can count on that." They went over to the truck, frantically climbed in, and drove off.

Melinda dropped the gun. "I never did feel comfortable holding onto one of those things for too long," she admitted. Then she smiled at where Matthew stood next to Melinda's car. "Thanks, Matt, that did the trick."

"You're very welcome, Melinda," Matthew said, bowing. Then he chuckled. "I never was very strong in my life. Who knew I would be able to lift a tree branch that big after I died?'"

Melinda smiled at him and then turned back to where Kirk was. He had some cuts and bruises, but was surprisingly unhurt. He saw her looking at him and said, "They were just starting when you drove up, Melinda. How did you know I was in trouble?"

"Matthew told me," Melinda said with a smile.

"Matthew?" Kirk asked. "A ghost?"

"Yes," Melinda said. "He's the one who threw the branch and caused the car headlights to come on."

Kirk smiled, "It certainly scared the daylights out of them," he said.

"That it did," Melinda said, smiling back. She helped him up. "Come on, I'll take you to my place. Jim can doctor you up then your dad can come get you."

"Ooh, ow, watch it," Kirk complained as Melinda pulled him up and threw his arm around her shoulders. "I'm going to have quite a few bruises from this."

"I'm sorry," Melinda said. They slowly waked towards Melinda's car. "We should tell your father about what happened," she told Kirk as they walked. "I think you're in danger," she continued when he shook his head. "He should know so he can keep an eye on you."

"All right," Kirk gave in with bad grace as Melinda helped him into the passenger seat of her car. "We can tell my dad."


	7. Chapter 6

When they arrived at Melinda's home, Jim helped Kirk out of the car and helped him settle down on the couch. Melinda had called Kirk's father, Miles, and told him to come to her house. He arrived a few minutes after Melinda. Jim carefully tended to Kirk's cuts and scrapes, checked his vital signs, and made sure there was nothing seriously wrong with him. Meanwhile, Melinda explained what had happened to Miles.

About halfway through the examination, Kirk turned to Melinda. "Who was the ghost? You said his name was Matthew, but Matthew what?"

Matthew was in the room at the moment. Melinda looked over at him. He was now clean from every trace of blood, and the scars were visible. He nodded, giving her permission to tell him. Melinda turned back to Kirk. "Shepard," she said. "It's Matthew Shepard. He was twenty one years old when he became the victim of a hate crime. It was because he was gay. He didn't want the same thing to happen to you."

"Where is he?" Kirk asked.

"Right beside me," Melinda said.

Kirk turned his head so he was looking over Melinda's shoulder. "Thanks, man," he said.

"You're welcome," Matthew said with a smile. "I'll keep an eye out for you as long as necessary."

"He says you're welcome," Melinda said. "And he says he'll keep an eye out for you for as long as he has to."

Miles looked at his son. "It sounds as if you have a guardian angel, Kirk."

Matthew looked down, embarrassed, "Well, I wouldn't say I'm an _angel_," he said.

"Between us you should be safe," Miles finished. "But I'm still going to tell the police you were attacked." Melinda hadn't told either of them the names of the attackers, so she and Matthew felt this was safe.


	8. Chapter 7

A few nights later Melinda and Jim were relaxing together in the living room. Suddenly, Matthew appeared. Melinda immediately looked up. "Matt!" she said.

"They're after your friend again," Matthew said.

"How did they do that?" Melinda asked "I thought you and his father were going to watch over him?"

"His father has been keeping him safe by having him stay at home unless it was absolutely necessary and even then he was to call home every so often," Matthew explained. "I was there, but just as Aaron and Russell went after him another ghost came after me. He chased me off."

"Who?" Melinda asked. "Did you hear his name? Was there anything you remember about him?"

"He was an older man," Matthew said. "He was dressed all in black and wore one of those black wide brimmed hats." He indicated what he meant by holding his hands a few inches from the sides of his head.

"Romano," Melinda said. "Uh-oh." Then she turned to Jim. "We'll need help," she said. "Jim, call for an ambulance and the police. Tell them Kirk's being assaulted by the same people who attacked him last time. I'll go and see if I can stop it."

"Be safe," Jim said, kissing her.

"I will," Melinda said, kissing him back.

"Hurry!" Matthew exclaimed. Melinda grabbed her keys and dashed out to her car. She climbed in, not surprised to find Matthew already in the passenger seat. "It's in the same place as last time," Matthew told her as she pulled out of the driveway.

They reached the place and found that this time it wasn't just Aaron and Russell. Gabriel was there, as well as Romano. Melinda approached the scene.

Gabriel suddenly whirled around and pointed the gun at Melinda. "Hold it right there," he said. "You're not coming a step closer, little sister."

Melinda's eyes flashed dangerously. "What if I do?" she asked.

"I'll shoot you," Gabriel said calmly.

Matthew suddenly came forwards, "Hold on, Mel," he said. "I'll help you."

"No you won't," said Romano, immediately stepping in front of Matthew. "Why do you want to help her?" he asked, starting to circle him. "She'll just cross you over. You don't know what it's like over there. Haven't you heard that gays like yourself end up in judgment? Hell, as some people call it? And I know you haven't exactly lived a perfect life apart from that. You've done bad things, haven't you, Matthew? Things you still beat yourself up over. Mistakes you've made that you feel really bad about. Things that have hurt others. Those will come back to bite you over there, as well. Do you really want that? Melinda will send you there if you let her."

"Don't listen to him," Melinda said.

"Don't listen to her," Romano said a minute later.

"Shut up," Gabriel growled, inching his finger closer to the trigger. "You're not to talk as well as not move. The next words you say will be your last."

Melinda looked over at Matthew. He was standing with his head down, held in his hands. He looked like a whipped dog. Her heart went out to him.

Melinda watched in horror as Aaron and Russell continued to beat up on Kirk. Then they took some rope and dragged him to the fence. They started to tie him up.

Not a moment too soon police cars came driving up, followed quickly by an ambulance. Aaron and Russell tried to escape, but were quickly caught by the police and handcuffed. Others surrounded Gabriel, ordering him to drop the gun. Gabriel saw he was surrounded and dropped it. They handcuffed him and led him off. All three were put in one of the cars and the police left the scene.

Jim, along with other paramedics, rushed in once the police were gone. Jim went up to Melinda and put his arm around her. "Are you okay, honey?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said, leaning against him. Then she added, "Now."

She watched as the other paramedics went over to where Kirk was tied. They untied him and lifted him up onto a gurney. Then they and Jim got it into the ambulance and left. Melinda followed them to the hospital in her car.


	9. Chapter 8

On the way, Melinda called Miles and told him what had happened. Miles met her at the hospital. They and Matthew went to the waiting room. After Kirk had been dropped off, Jim came to the waiting room. "Are you okay?" he asked Melinda.

"I'm fine," Melinda answered, "really." She glanced over at a corner of the waiting room where Matthew was standing. His scars and bruises had disappeared, but he seemed upset. "Matthew, on the other hand, looks anything but okay."

Jim gave her a slight push. "Go on, talk to him," he said. "He needs you."

Melinda looked over at Miles and said, "I think there's someone who needs you, too," she said.

Jim glanced over at Miles, nodded, and went over to talk to him. Melinda and Matthew sat down on the hard plastic seats at the other end of the room.

"Are you holding up okay?" Melinda asked him.

Matthew shrugged. "I don't know," he said, then buried his head in his hands. "I feel like I don't know anything any more."

"Romano doesn't know what he's talking about, Matthew," Melinda said. "He was preying on your doubts, fears, and failures. He's evil Matthew. He wants you not to cross over. He wants you to join his army of evil spirits. The same army that provided the spy who gave Aaron and Russell Kirk's name. Do you really want to be responsible for causing more of that kind of thing?"

"Of course not!" Matthew exclaimed, pulling his head out of his hands and looking at her. "That would be wrong. I…I couldn't do things like that." Then he paused and asked, "Is there any way to protect myself from him?"

Melinda thought for a moment. She remembered how Romano hadn't come into the shop the night Andrea crossed over because of the overflowing love surrounding her, Melinda, and Mitch. "Evil spirits feed off negative feelings such as hatred, fear, doubt, pain, and anger. Let me ask you something, Matt. Did you ever beat yourself up over a mistake?"

Matthew chuckled, "Often," he said.

"Did you ever tell your family about your mistake?" Melinda asked.

Matthew nodded, "Yeah."

"How did they react?" Melinda asked.

"They always forgave me or told me that the person I had wronged wasn't upset with me," Matthew told her.

"Did it help?" Melinda asked.

"Always," Matthew said with a smile.

"Well, okay," Melinda said. "Whenever you think about something bad you did in your life, remember how your family reacted when you told them. Remember their love and forgiveness. Evil spirits have no power over you when you're surrounded by love."

Matthew smiled again. This time it seemed less strained. "Thanks, Melinda," he said. "I'll try that."

Just then a doctor came into the waiting room. Melinda and Jim both looked up. "Is he going to be okay?" Melinda asked.

The doctor nodded, "Yes," he said. "He was badly beaten up, and we had to perform surgery, but he will be fine."

Matthew gave a wry smile. "If he'd been left there until the next morning that wouldn't have been the case."

"Thank goodness," Miles said. "Can we see him?"

"He's still unconscious," the doctor said. "One of you can go and be with him, though."

"You go ahead," Jim said to Miles, "Mel and I will go home. Keep us updated."

"I will," Miles said. "Thank you both for what you did for Kirk and for me. I don't know if I would have been able to stand losing him, too."

"You're welcome," Melinda said.

"Go on, Mel," Jim said, nudging her in the direction of the door.

"I'm going, I'm going," Melinda said, rolling her eyes as she allowed Jim to shepherd her towards the parking lot.


	10. Chapter 9

The next morning Melinda was walking across the square towards her store when she noticed that there was a sign up in front of the Grand View Theater. "Tonight. Judy Shepard on: The Legacy of Matthew Shepard. This coming Saturday: The Laramie Project."

"Mom!" came Matthew's voice.

Melinda shrieked and whirled around to find Matthew standing beside her. "Matt!" she said, "You startled me!"

"Sorry," Matthew said quickly. He looked at the sign and then back at Melinda. "Do you think you could help me talk to my parents?"

"I can try," Melinda said. "I'll go to the talk and meet you at the theater. We'll talk to your mother afterwards."

"Okay," Matthew said, then vanished.

Melinda continued on and entered the store. She stopped when she saw two police officers standing in the middle of the room. Delia was behind the counter. "May I help you?" Melinda asked uncertainly.

One of the police officers stepped forwards. "We just stopped by to give you the reward money," he said.

"Reward money?" Melinda echoed, taking the check.

"The two young men who were beating up on Kirk Jenson were escaped convicts, Miss Gordon," the other police officer said. "There was a reward for whoever gave the police the lead that led to their re-arrest."

"Who were they, anyway?" Delia asked.

"Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson," the first police officer answered.

Delia's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh," she said. "Those are the two men who escaped just a few days ago, aren't they?"

"Yes, ma'am," the second one said. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to be going." And with that the two of them left the store.

"Excuse me," came the voice of Rick. Melinda looked up just in time to see him press himself against the door frame to allow the second police officer to pass. "Never play around with a police officer," he said. "They have guns." With that he squinted one eye and pretended to pull a trigger on an imaginary gun pointed at Delia, and said, "Pow!" Melinda and Delia rolled their eyes. "I just heard the news that mis Melinda here is famous," he added. "Found the two dorks who escaped from federal prison, and, I see…" he looked closely at Melinda's check, his eyes widened, and he whistled before continuing, "…received _quite_ the chunk of change for it, too! Maybe I'll go hunting after criminals. That's more money than I see in a years time."

"I didn't do it alone, Rick," Melinda said. "Matthew helped me."

"Matthew who?" Delia and Rick chorused.

"Matthew Shepard," Melinda said.

"The ghost of the guy who was killed?" Rick exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Yeah," Melinda answered.

"Whoa!" Rick exclaimed. "Has he been following the guys around or something?"

"I think he has," Melinda said, "At least, after they escaped."

"Now they're caught and he's gone, right?" Rick asked.

"Wrong," Melinda said.

"He didn't…go to the dark side…did he?" Rick asked.

Melinda shook her head, "No," she said. "He just wants a chance to talk to his family one more time before he goes. We're going to the talk given by his mother so he can do that." Rick started to say something and Melinda cut him off, "Alone," she said.

Rick pouted. "Okay," he said. Then he looked at his watch. "Well, I would sure like to hang around and chat, but I have to scoot. Have a class to get to in ten minutes. Bye!" With that, he left.


	11. Chapter 10

That evening Melinda and Matthew went to the talk given by Judy Shepard. Melinda sat in a seat on the aisle and Matthew sat on a step next to her. Of course, nobody noticed him. It was a full house.

Melinda thoroughly enjoyed the talk. Afterwards, she stood in a corner of the theater until everyone had left. Matthew stood next to her. He stood watching as a man went up to Judy. "That's my dad," he said softly. Then another boy came over and Matthew said, "That's my brother, Logan." He looked at Melinda. "Can we go over to them now?" he asked.

"Yes," Melinda said. She pushed herself away from the wall and walked down the steps towards where the stage was.

Judy looked up. "Who are you?" she asked.

Melinda smiled and said. "My name is Melinda Gordon. I heard your talk Mrs. Shepard. It was very good."

"Thank you," Judy said softly. "Please, come up onto the stage," she added.

Melinda walked up the set of three steps onto the stage until she was standing in front of Judy. "You may not know this, Mrs. Shepard," Melinda said, "but a boy was almost killed here the way your son was. I was the one who stopped it. The ones who did it were…"

"The same ones who killed Matt," finished Matthew's father, Dennis.

"So you know about it?" Melinda asked.

"Yes," Dennis said. "I read about it in the paper this morning."

"Tell them about me being here, Melinda," Matthew said.

"I couldn't have done it alone, Mr. and Mrs. Shepard," Melinda continued. "I don't know if you will believe me, but I can see ghosts." Their faces, and Logan's registered shock. "It's true. Matt came to me and helped me catch his murderers right in the act of trying to commit the same kind of murder. He's here. Right now."

"Matt?" Logan said softly, speaking for the first time. "Here?"

"Tell him he looks like me more every day," Matthew said.

"Yes," Melinda said, "And he wants you to know he thinks you look more like him every day." Then she smiled and added, "I think you look a lot like him, too."

"I wish that we could have lived together the way we had planned," Matthew continued. "I was so looking forward to getting to know you again."

"He says he's sorry you two never got to live together like you had planned," Melinda said. "He was really looking forward to getting to know you again."

"Tell Mom thank you for being patient with me all those times I called her up in the middle of the night," Matthew said.

"Mrs. Shepard," Melinda said, "He says to thank you for being patient all the times he called you up in the middle of the night."

Judy jumped ever so slightly. She hadn't mentioned that the nighttime phone calls were something that happened often during her talk in Grand View, just that he had called her in the middle of the night when he told her about being gay. "How did you know about that?" she asked.

"How do you think?" Melinda asked.

"He's really here?" Judy asked. Melinda nodded. "Tell him it was no problem," Judy said, "I did it because I loved him and I knew that converting between my time and his was too much math for him."

Matthew chuckled, "You're right there, Mom," he said.

"I don't need to tell him," Melinda said. "He can hear you, and he says you're right."

"I don't believe this!" Dennis exclaimed, "It's all just a bunch of baloney."

"Dad, please believe Melinda. It's all true. Every word," Matthew said. He seemed sad that his father doubted.

"Matt's upset that you don't believe me," Melinda said.

"Tell him I was there at the trial of Aaron McKinney," Matthew said.

"He was there at Aaron McKinney's trial," Melinda said.

"I put my hand on his shoulder after he finished speaking," Matthew said. "After he had granted Aaron McKinney his life."

"He says he put his hand on your shoulder," Melinda repeated. "After you had given Aaron McKinney his life."

"I know he felt me," Matthew said. "He reached up to touch where my hand rested."

"He says he knows you felt him," Melinda said. "He says you put your hand up to touch where his hand rested."

Dennis looked startled, "I never told anyone about that," he said. "Not even Judy. When I touched my shoulder where I'd felt something, the spot felt warm. As if someone had their hand there. How could you…"

Matthew walked up to his father and placed a hand on his father's right arm. "I really am here, Dad," he said. He gave a gentle squeeze and said, "Believe."

Dennis put his left hand on the spot where Matthew's hand was. He looked at Melinda. "Ms. Gordon…" he said, and then his voice trailed off. His eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"He really is here, Mr. Shepard," Melinda said. "He has his hand on your arm. Right now."

"Don't be afraid to believe, Dad," Matthew said.

"He doesn't want you to be afraid to believe," Melinda said.

"Matt," Dennis said, so quietly it was almost inaudible. "I love you, my hero."

"I love you too, Dad," Matthew said.

Judy gave a sob and put her hand to her mouth. She leaned up against her husband and he took his left hand from the spot on his arm and took his wife's hand in his. Matthew slid his hand down his father's arm and took his other hand. Logan came over and took his mother's free hand. Matthew took his brother's other hand in his.

Matthew smiled at Melinda. Tears filled his eyes and spilled over. "We're a family again," he said. Then he looked up towards the door leading into the theater. Light reflected in his eyes. "What's that?" he asked, letting go of his father's and Logan's hands, at which everyone else released everyone else's hands.

Melinda smiled through the tears shining in her own eyes. "It's the light," she said. "It means you're ready."

"Ready?" Judy echoed, looking at Melinda. "What are you talking about?"

"It's Matt," Melinda said. "He's ready to go."

"Just when I got in contact with my brother, I'm going to lose him again?" Logan asked.

"No," Melinda said, "you never did lose him, Logan. He'll always be there in your heart. And someday, you'll see him again, and you won't need me to help you talk to him. But it's time for him to go where he belongs."

Matthew turned away from the light. "Melinda," he said, "I'm scared. What if the conservatives are right? What if that ghost you called Romano is right? What if I end up in Hell…or someplace worse?"

"Matthew," Melinda said. "They're wrong. That's not what it's like in the light. There's peace and love and joy and everything good. I've seen it reflected so many times on the faces of the ones I've crossed over. Don't be afraid, Matt. There's no judgment or pain over there."

Matthew turned back to the light. The anxiety left his face, and was replaced with peace. "Yes…" he said, nodding. "Yes, I see it now." He turned to Melinda. "It's so beautiful. I never thought I would see anything like it." He turned to his parents. "Goodbye Mom, Dad, Logan," he said. "I'll see you all again someday." Then he turned towards the light and smiled. His smile was even more dazzling than before because of the light shining on him. He suddenly bent down, removed the braces from his legs, and tossed them off to the left side of the stage where they disappeared. "I won't need these any more," he said. He ran then, straight into the light, laughing with delight at being free of the braces he had worn most of his life. There came a sighing sound.

Melinda turned to the Shepard family. "He's gone," she said. "He went into the light…without his braces on, may I add."

"So he was finally strong enough to walk without them?" Judy asked.

"Yes," Melinda said. "Though he didn't walk into the light…he _ran_. That kind of thing always happens when a spirit goes into the light."

Judy nodded and said, "Then I'm glad he went into the light."

"Me too," Dennis and Logan said at the same time.

Melinda left the theater and went home. It was dark out by this time, and the lights of Grand View were on. She smiled and realized that they sparkled.


End file.
